The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-08-18

ton, or between one pfOfeSSeu CllIlSt'dii
and am ,sber. or between one church and
another. Just so long men will be dis
gusted with the Christian religion, and
say, IF that is religion, l want none
of it,
Again, bigotry and sectarianism do
great damage in the fact that they hin-
der the triumph of tue Gospel. Oh, how
much wasted ammunition, how many
men of splendid intellect have given their
whole life to controversial disputes
when, if they had given their life TO
something practical they might have been
vastly useful. Suppose this morning,
while L speak, there were common
enemy coming up the bay through the
Narrows, and all the forts around New
York began to fire into each other, you
would cry out, National suicide! Why
don't those forts blaze away in one
direction, and that against the common
enemy?" A yet I sometimes see in the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ strange
thing going on; church against church,
minister against minister, denomination
against denomination, firing away into
their own fort, or the fort which ought
to be on the same side, instead OF con-
centrating their energy and giving one
mighty and everlasting volley against the
navies Of darkness riding up through the
bay.
go out sometimes in the summer, alit!l
find two beehives, and these two hives
are in quarrel. l come near enough,
not to be stung, but I come just near
enough to hear the controversy, and one
beehive says, THAT field of clover is the
sweetest" and another beehive says,
''That field of clover is the sweetest" ]
come in between them, and l say. f'Stop
this quarrel; if you like that field of
clover best, go there; if you like that field
of clover best, go there; but let me tell
you that that hive which gets the most
honey is the best hive So l come out
between the churches of the Lord Jesus
Christ. One denomination of Christians
says, THAT field of Christian doctrine is
| best" and another says, ''This field of
Christian doctrine is best" Well, say,
"Go where you get the most honey.
That is the best church which gets the
most honey of Christian grace for the
heart, and the most honey of Christian
usefulness for the life.
Resides that, if you want to build UP
any denomination you will never build it
/ up by trying to pull some other down.
| Intolerance never put anything down.
HOW much has intolerance accomplished,
| for instance, against he Methodist
church! For long years her ministry
were forbidden the pulpits of Great
Britain. Why was it that so many OF
them preached in the fields? Simply be-
cause they could not get in the churches.
And the name of the church was given
in derision and as a sarcasnl. The critics
of the church said, ''They have no order,
they have no method in their worship
and the critics, therefore, in irony called
| them ''Methodists. -
/ am told that in Astor library, New
| York, kept as curiosities, there are 707
books and pamphlets against Methodism.
Did intolerance stop that churehf No
it is either first or second amid the de
nominations of Christendom, her mis-,
sionary stations in all parts of the world,
her men not only important in religious
trusts. but important also in secular
trusts. Church marching on, and the
more intolerance against it the faster il
marched.
What did intolerance accomplish
| against the Baptist church? If laughing
! scorn and TRADE could have DESTROYED
the church it would not have today g
disciple left.
The Baptists were hurled out of Boston
in Olden times. Those who sympathized
with them were confined, and when q
petition was offered asking leniency ir
their behalf, all the men who signed il
were indicted. Has intolerance stopped
the Baptist church? The last statistics in
regard toit showed about 30, 600 churches
and 100000 communicates. Intoler.
ance never put down anything.
In England a law was made against
the Jew. England thrust back the Jew
and thrust down the Jew, and declared
that no Jew should hold official position
What came of it? Were the Jews de
stroyedf Was their religion overthrownI
No. Who became prime minister oI
England years ago2 Who was next tc
the throne? Who was higher than tht
throne because he was counselor and ad
wiser? The descendant of Jew. Wha1
were we celebrating in all our churches
as well as synagogues few years ago
The Tooth birthday anniversary of Mon
tefiore, the greatest Jewish philanthro
pist. Intolerance never yet put dowr
anything.
Ill, But now, my friends, having
shown you the origin of bigotry or sec
tarianism, and having shown you tht
damage it does, / want briefly to show
you how we are to war against this terri
BILE evil, and l think we ought to begir
our war by realizing our own weakness
and our imperfections. If we make 81
many mistakes in the common affairs O
life, is it not possible that we may max,
mistakes in regard to our religious
affairs? Shall we take a man by tn,
throat or by the collar because he canno
see religious truths Just as we do? In tn.
light of eternity it will be found out,
think, there was something wrong in al
our oreeds, aid something right in al
our creeds. But since we may max,
mistakes in regard to things of the world
do not let US be egotistic and SO puffet
up as to have an idea that we canno
make any mistake in regard to religiou
theories. And then, I think, we will d,
great deal to overthrow the sectarian
ism from our heart, and the sectarianisn
from The world, by chiefly eniargins
upon those things Il. which we agre
rather than those on which we dineF.
Now, here is great Gospel platform
A man comes up on this side the plat
form and says; II don't believe in bab,
sprinkling." Shall l shove him off
Here is man coming up on this side th
platform, and he says: 81 don't believ
in the perseverance of the saints" Shal
shove him Off 1 will say: "Do yo1
believe in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour
do you trust Him for time and for eter
nityp" He says: "Yes." "Do yo1
take Christ for time and for eternity?'
Eyes" I say: Come on, brother
one in time and one in eternity; brothe
now, brother forever" Blessed be Go
for a Gospel platform so large that a
who receive Christ may stand on it'll
think we may overthrow the sever
sectarianism and bigotry in our hearts
and in the church also, by realizing tha